SPARK unboxing - Will I like it? - BUY BUY BUY or bye bye bye? - Viewer reviews at the end.
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2021
- Positive Grid hit us up looking to sponsor the podcast, I told them I couldn't promote the Spark without trying one first and they agreed. This is the result, will I accept the sponsorship?
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Let me say this. I bought a Spark. Once you use it and get totally familiar with it and the app and the capabilities, it is hard to criticise. It's an amazing practice amp. Incredible value for money.
Thank you so much for your integrity - I recommend you and only a few other of these channels to friends of mine who are just starting to get into guitar gear, and I appreciate it every time something like this comes up because you *didn't* just trash it. You put real time and effort into trying to unlock great and fun sounds, and you didn't resort to any kind of hyperbole or anything in evaluating it. Appreciate you greatly!
The Spark is geared toward being a beginners tool that you use in your garage, or bedroom to discover pedals effects, and amp types. I've owned my for less than a year, and it hasn't moved from where I put it when I unboxed it, but I do use it almost daily and I'm still learning as I go. I think it was a good purchase.
That is why I bought it... to play around with "amp heads and pedals" without needing to buy thousands of dollars worth of gear to muck around with different stuff.
What? Incredibly ignorant things to say.
@@henrydiaz720what was ignorant about this
I always appreciate your honesty transparency and willingness to make your thoughts known about the whole youtube gear review world, the responsibilities, and your place in it. I trust your opinions because of your years of honesty. Thanks Ryan.
Glad and impressed to see Ryan's honesty with this review. I was having the same reactions as he was throughout the video, especially with the low-end, muddled sound that apparently couldn't be tweaked out.
I agree regarding the low end, and I appreciate your candor on the product, Ryan. I think it's got way too much bass, which I suspect might be because it also functions as a bass amp. I think you're also right about them trying to fatten it up at low volumes for practice. I think it's in the speakers, because the huge booming bass disappears when I use headphones. That said, I really like the amp for my use purposes. I've got in my living room, and use it for practicing and I mostly wear headphones. I practice bass on it as well, and it works well for that. I think it's really flexible and delivers on what it promises, but it would be great if Positive Grid could dial back the bass when not using headphones (I usually turn it all the way down, or almost all the way down). Stylistically, I play a lot of blues and like a fatter sound, so with the bass dialed back, the tone is right in my wheelhouse. However, I wish it had more usable range when not using one of the bass amps, and I'm hoping they fix that with a firmware update.
I was stoked to get one until now, I’m glad you present the way you do, gives us all a clear picture of products that still need the bugs worked out… thanks
Ryan's experience with the Spark is shockingly different from mine. I got mine last year and it's not muddy at all. Hearing his playback of the Joe Bonamassa cloud preset shocked me. For me, that preset soars. Yes, it's natively bassy, but roll that off to 9 o'clock and it's fine. I just wonder if there's something wrong with his unit. Maybe Ryan should collab with Phil McKnight and share some impressions on this amp. He's said he loves it for practice.
I was in a Spark forum for a while and I got a VERY clear impression that it is far from a consistent product, some people adore it citing it's clarity of sound for the price, and some people hate it citing nothing happens at all above 8kHz . My experience was the latter and this video captures the sound of the model I had very accurately. It really can't be possible that thousands of happy users haven't noticed it has no top end, it must be that the product varies greatly.
His experience describes mine EXACTLY. Maybe just bad manufacturing and inconsistency.
This seems off and way dark in comparison to the other vid reviews Ive seen on this amp
Weird!
Arturo Peter Blavis
Phil too pointed out that it was heavy on the bass. Seen plenty of reviews of this amp and to my recollection nobody else has mentioned it's bass heavy. Wonder if this is quality control issue as somebody else has mentioned.
@@redmed10 I understand that that are many public complaints, it's just not my experience. I play in a larger room with no boundary issues. I don't see how a digital amp could sound drastically different from one unit to the next, though.
I have the Spark pearl version. Indeed a lot if low end. But with altering the patches and save them as preferred patch it works good for me. Very happy with it.
I find if I place the spark on a wooden surface, it's a lot more bass than if I place it on a carpet or better yet, place a small rug under it where you place it. It will muffle the bass just enough to really bring out better sound.
@@shreader327 Interesting to know. I've ordered a Spark a few weeks ago in the new year's sale and I'm curious to hear the difference in the sound depending on the surfaces I put the amp on. Maybe it has to be decoupled from the surface it's on to really sound good.
@Stoney3K a thing I did that helped tame the bass is to open it up through its grill use a bit of foam through the hole, then turn down the hardware bass setting myself. The specific app bass for various amps can be turned up and down and that paired with the hardware bass seems to be overpowering as all get out. So from my experience turning down the hardware setting really low seemed to help quite a bit.
I was tempted to buy one as the pre owned prices are low. But as I already use the software on iOS which is very good and integrated to DAWs, I decided to buy a good Bluetooth speaker and it does the trick w/o the flaws you described. Thanks for your detailed review.
If the bass knob had numbers they would read from 10 to 10
I bought one... and sold it again within the month.
It's basically a box of mud, why? because it has a built in cab sim WHICH YOU CANNOT TURN OFF and GUESS WHAT ? you're listening to it though a cab! you may as well chain cab sims. The only sounds possible from it are muddy indistinct sounds. I have no idea what they were thinking, but MY they're good at marketing.
Marketing company. Terrible sounding amp. Actually worse than a boss katana, which I didn’t think was possible.
Yeah, right... No one at Positive Grid noticed how horrible it sounded through the years of development. None of the people who tested it for months before it went to market noticed how horrible it sounded. None of the tens of thousands of satisfied customers noticed how horrible it sounds.
If you can't get good tone from the amp, try harder. Seriously, the amp sounds great... I dialed in my basic tones within minutes and fine-tuned them over the next couple of weeks as I noticed little things I could improve. I haven't changed my sounds since then. As for running it a cab, well, I've tried it into my Tech 21 Power Engine 60 and it sounds great!
@@MarcCoteMusic Why do I have to think something sounds good just because you do? Enjoy life be happy
@@autistichead8137 - You don't, of course. But since pretty much any tone you can imagine can be found in this amp, the idea that someone can't find one or two - or ten - that they like suggests they haven't done any digging into the features.
@@MarcCoteMusic ok spark marketing department 😂
i’ve always appreciated your candid opinions on this channel. even when you love on the afford a board pedals! i think it’s important to take you in context, and know that even when you’re having a bit of fun, you’re really trying to give an honest take of the gear you play. thanks for holding the line on integrity. you’re the 4th video i’ve watched on the spark, and you’re the only one to remotely say anything negative. i won’t be buying this and for that i really thank you.
Ive had this fir a few days and love it. I've watched Vids of paid and unpaid reviews. Most everyone thinks it sounds great. Mine sounds better than his. I think his opinion was predetermined. He wanted to not like it so he didn't like it. It happens
@@Bcananzey can't you update firmware on it? If that is the case bugs will get worked out.
Best Vid Thumbnail! ....for reals thanks for the review. I've been curious about the Spark amp for a while.
Thank you so much for your honesty. I am old, and have zero desire to connect to an iPad or a phone or a computer to run a guitar amp. The kids are into it, but it is too late for me.
I considered buying this, and I even owned a Yamaha THR, but I got rid of it and avoided the Spark in favour of having two Boss Katana 50 running wet/dry on a Radial BigShot ABY pedal. I know they can be connected to computer as well, but I never do it. I am happy with the sounds on the control panel. Fair play to those who enjoy their Spark, have fun.
I really appreciate your honesty with this video. As you mentioned, this thing was kind of shoved in everyone's face for a long time. I'm still inundated with ads about it on social media. While intriguing to me, something was telling me not to buy it. This video confirmed my gut feeling.
I accidentally purchased one of these, gently used, BEFORE I watched this video. I was a little nervous to hear what it sounded like in person, but I guess I lucked out and got one that wasn't so murky. I am a little disappointed about the missing spring tank too, but I see they released a few more virtual pedals (at a $19.99 cost) a couple weeks ago for the JH Experience.....perhaps with some persistent nudging, they will add a few more of the basic pedals we all love. Thanks Ryan for all your reviews. I always enjoy your format, and value your input.
I’m pleased I watched this after I bought it. I’m I beginner who has no idea what a good amp should sound like or what each pedal does. So I’m learning a lot from the amp. I love it! And I love using it as a powerful Bluetooth speaker.
I LOVE mine, best $239 I've ever spent on a piece of gear. I find it hard to put my guitar down when I start playing because it's so much fun.
Thanks for this video. Since I bought this amp last year I have had issues with it. First, it has a hum on high gain settings which Positive Grid address with a new grounded power supply. The unbalanced eq, ie the crazy amount of low end, I try and balance out with an eq pedal. Now I feel like I have a decent practice amp and audio interface. However, I don’t think it was worth it in the end.
Thanks for your honest evaluation. I just (December 2022) bought a Spark and was anxiously awaiting delivery until I saw this video and the worry began. Fortunately, after research, I discovered Spark added an update (mid 2022) that includes 3 more amps plus guitar and bass EQ pedals that alleviate many of the heavy bass 🔊 issues. Thank goodness. You're doing great work Ryan! Keep that sh#t up!
I find it serviceable for silent practice and recording, the sound tends to be better when its run direct from the the usb on the back into a daw, as the speakers tend to sound really box-y in the room.
Respect your honesty Ryan. This is what it's like for me. Have had one almost a year now, and bought a second one for my daughter. I've had a break from frequent guitar playing for some 30 years, but with this little thing I'm back on track, practicing almost every day. I would be intimidated by a big regular amp, I was never that good, and the family would throw me out. But this one fits everywhere. Wife think it's beautiful in our livning room and appreciate the BT speaker function. Oh, and the bass issue I solved with putting it above the floor on a stand. It's OK by me, for the price and the ease of the app it's perfect. Think that's quite common when reading posts on FB, lots of old farts like me who got their enthusiasm back. And that's not a small thing. That said being well aware of the imperfections of the Spark, but there are also so many ridiculous expectations on it.
I’ve had my Spark for a year. It’s my nightly noodle toy…that’s it…it’s not a live music or band practice amp imo. It was designed to get players to experiment and learn. For those reasons I love it! It is bassy though as mentioned. Simple solution is to get it off the floor.
Nice Ryan, it's cool that you say what you think even if its bad business for you . When it first came out I was a little curious but then something about de app and having to navigate menus plus the small speakers held me back. After watching your video in totally sure that I rather just keep playing on the 1989 peavy Backstage 110 I've been using
I’ve read popping off the grill (it’s velcro) and stuffing the bass port and back of the cab with poly fill helps smooth out that low end. I haven’t tried it myself, but I definitely feel your vibe on the bassiness.
Ryan, your honesty is like a breath of fresh air. Also watched your Eart v Indio video today and you are right about UA-cam channels over hyping stuff. I think your assessment of the spark is probably the most realistic I've seen. This product is being over hyped by UA-cam influences for sponsorship, and users who are generally too inexperienced to know its not what it's built up to be.
I watched loads of videos when looking for a modeling amp with interface capabilities. It's why I settled on a used Yamaha THR 10C. No low end problems and a ton of presets you can make on your computer or mac. On its own, it just plain sounds good. recording, it sounds good. Can't ask for more.
Great and honest review. I thought you were going to be in somebody’s pocket like some of the other UA-camrs. But you were honest and very insightful to the product. Thank you.
I have used one for about a year now. The software can be buggy, although it has gotten better. My biggest issues is not being able to adjust things on the fly easily.
Thank you for giving a good critical analysis of this product. I think you said a lot of things that needed to be said and for me one of the new pandemic players I need to build up my gear and this could have just been a waste of money for me.
Kudos for giving a frank opinion. Most people seem to agree about the bass. I had a similar reaction to yours about the four presets when I got mine. The online patches helped quite a bit however. I do like the bluetooth connectivity. I wouldn't recommend this without the app, but with it, you have a functional practice amp with tons of tonal options at an affordable price point. Roll off the bass on the tone controls and on the individual effects and you can shape the tone a lot to get what you're looking for. At this price point, it's a great place to start. You'll learn a lot about the kind of gear you may want to invest in down the road as you progress and have plenty of tonal options to explore.
My wife got me a Spark amp for Christmas last year. My findings: When you're very close to it or it is on the floor, it is SOOOOO bassy that you have to rebuild each preset with the bass rolled off. The Twin Reverb amp sounds decent, largely because this sounds like an amp with much larger speakers. None of the stock presets are worth anything. But the Twin Reverb for clean, the Matchless and Vox amps for light to medium crunch, and the Ampeg bass amps are not bad. This amp actually sounds decent as a small bass amp. The Bluetooth speaker functionality is terrible, way too bassy. But I do play through my Spark every day in my home office, because it's small, and I can dial in a bunch of sounds using the app for messing around. It'll never replace a dedicated amp, though. It's okay as a practice tool.
I recommend the Spark to anyone who lives in an apartment or condo. I live in a townhouse and play Page, Hendrix, Mayer, and Frusciante songs at low volumes on a daily basis. I previously used the Yamaha THRii but wasn't thrilled with the app, although it's arguably the better sounding amp. The Yamaha is now my son's amp and our travel rig. The Spark app is great. But, you need to invest some time to dial in your tones. Find starter patches on ToneCloud and THEN refine those for your room and guitars. That said if you really want to cut the bass, I highly recommend a bright, Klon clone like the Electro-Harmonix Soul Food.
Ryan, I’ve been watching the channel and listening to the podcast pretty consistently since last year and I really appreciate these honest reviews.
I still feel that the PodGO and a FRFR speaker is probably the most versatile set up for the money.
I have a few amps but my go to is my pod go to my headrush 112 and hook my laptop up for creating tones.I find it effortless and the sounds is magic even at ridiculous volumes.
I use the Spark as a practice amp and a bluetooth speaker for my deck. In that application, I find it to be a huge value. It performs well as a bluetooth speaker when I have guests. Then as a little outdoor practice amp, it's great because of its versatility and all-in-one amp rig nature. That said, I agree it sounds like digital recordings played through a reproduction speaker. I think in the right application with the right expectations, the Spark is fantastic. However, if you want something that functions as your primary guitar rig, you can probably do better. Also, the guitar EQ effect can really help tame the low end.
Nice video! I have the amp and I agree it's bass heavy. That seems to be a pretty common complaint. The community has figured out that plugging up the bass reverb hole behind the screen with a sock or some foam or something helps a lot, and other folks have swapped out the speakers to something that isn't so bass heavy. The bass hole is no big deal but having to swap out the speakers is kind of a big mod.
I think the consensus was that the amp was also marketed and designed as a bluetooth speaker for listening to music and that ultimately is what leads to the bass-heavy output. I think generally speaking most of the community finds that to be a mistake. I know I *never* use it as a bluetooth speaker.
I've also heard that BiasFX, which is honestly probably what is running inside the amp, uses the master for how hard you push your simulated tubes, not volume and that it's extremely touchy with gain vs master settings.
At any rate, if you couldn't figure it out the average schmoe just starting won't figure it out. I'm keeping mine for a bedroom impulse practice amp but I find I don't play it nearly as often as I did when I first got it.
I feel like a global hi-pass filter could easily be added via a firmware update. If they see this, maybe they’ll implement it. Good review, Ryan.
Sounds like the amp should have a "Global Sound Settings" page that can be applied post-preset to tune the preset to the particular amp or room that it's in.
I ordered one in the first pre-order rush. It eventually came, and I'm satisfied with it. I use it mostly as a bluetooth speaker for my laptop, watching this video with the sound coming from across the room. It works well for that. As a guitar amp, it's fairly powerful for a practice amp. Half volume at most. The amp does tend toward bass-heavy. I have the presets set up for Fender-ish, Vox-ish, Marshall-ish, Orange-ish. Yes, the onboard knobs are digital, so they revert to saved when you switch. Use the app for best results. I haven't yet made any use of the jam along features, but that may be my failing. I also couldn't relate to a Trio, or a looper. It would be better with a pad than with a phone, which is what I have. I haven't used it to connect to my computer for recording, because the amp emulations I have in GarageBand are fine with me - even more options than the Spark. I usually go for Fender blackface or tweed, or Vox. They were pushing the new pearl-coloured one recently, but it was no different, and I like the brown.
Just saw a review that described how new "pedals" in their app allowed users to tame the over-the-top bass. That goes to demonstrate the accuracy of Ryan's impressions. I think that will make it a lot more useful. It's a big trend - profiling amps with apps to make them into whatever the app allows
It sounds like you never took it out of the box. So dark and muddy sounding.
I know, right? I can’t even watch all of this.
@@BillyE5150 equalizer??? It has one
For what it is advertised, that thing is off the charts. And the pricetag is more than fair. Also I'm watching this video with my spark as a BT speaker.
Everyday person/guitarist review, excellent job. I've been wanting someone to say it does not sound like an amp in a room. You also said a lot of other things I've been wanting reviewers to say it does or doesn't do. I use these reviews form the UA-cam guitar community to come up with a collective opinion on products. I keep you, Ryan, a part of my UA-cam subscriptions because of your reviews. You make the hard call and have a decided philosophy to what your channel is about, and what it will and will not be a part of. Thanks!
Doesn't mean I wouldn't buy it. These gear companies need to listen to reviews and make changes for users wants and needs. Thus, they should not be using UA-cam channels to promote and sell. They should use guitar UA-camrs only to improve a product leading them to be able to meet the consumers on common ground. This is where they will be able to make more sales. Happy consumers, return for better products.
My other thought is that gear companies should use UA-camrs as a part of product development. So, put the product out to gear reviewers, get feedback from reviewers and read the comments of consumers. Then next the UA-camr does a live and the viewers could ask questions. These Companies could get a lot of valuable info. Let Research and Development make important decisions not the "Bean Counters,"
In final comment, a year ago, when I was thinking about buying this amp, I checked to see if 60 Cycle Hum/Ryan reviewed it.......
Took 8 months to get mine last year, I’ve absolutely loved it so far.
Getting a loan of one for a week off a mate then ill decide whether to buy or not
@@dermot51 I still love mine. It’s everything it should be so far. No real complaints besides the power supply
I got myself a spark when they first came out, and I like it. It works fine for me but I don't play out or any of that stuff.
you may've lost some money, but you just saved me a good couple hundred of bucks. Thank you so much for your honesty and transparency, you have a new fan here
iv had mine for 6 months and love it best thing iv bought myself in over 25 yrs. mine does not sound muddy unless I use my HB -hh guitar and then the software takes care of that. I may buy another in the white shell wonder if I can chain them together?
I like mine, but I definitely agree it was too muddy on all the defaults. Had to roll the bass all the way off and the treble up at 3 o'clock for most sounds. I bought it as a practice / travel amp and it's very good for that - not that I've done much travelling recently - and it does take my real pedals in the front pretty well. Even my "if it doesn't have tubes it doesn't count" friend was impressed with the sound. But I enjoyed the video and it's REALLY refreshing to hear someone giving a genuine and honest opinion, instead of the usual gushing praise!
It's a great value for the money as a small footprint practice amp. I don't even use the speakers and take the USB out into a small Berenger mixer out to my studio monitors. It has some great tones and some meh tones, but you can find good ones. My criticisms are it could really use an EQ pedal or two of some sort and a better drum loops. You can get around the EQ problem by using pedals to make up for the lack of adjustability in some amps, however I just use an EQ pedal now. Still for $250 or whatever it is now, it's a good value for what I use it for which is strictly practice.
Thanks for the honest review. I like mine cos I primarily play bass, but all the cool stuff and myriad of features gets overlooked when there’s no footswitch available from PG. Waiting on one of the third-party switches and going from there.
Have you seen the Spark mods people are doing? More than a few people have popped out and clipped in new 3 1/2” speakers with tweeters to help with the heavy low-end. Will prolly do that with mine, as well as adding a speaker out at some point. It’d be fun to get this pushing a real amp speaker!
I’m glad you received a grounded power supply (3 prongs)… the amp I received came with a non grounded power supply and I had a HUGE hum issues… when I contacted customer support … they actually had me make a video to verify the hum issue before they would send a grounded power supply
I've had one from day one. The noise gate kills everything. There are so many fantastic saved user cloud creations that you never need to use the amp the way Ryan used it. I purely use it with saved presets. So much easier. It sounds so much better than Ryan's vid. Great practice amp. That's all.
As he got further and further into the video I was thinking the same exact thing. I am no means a stan for the Spark but for the price point its beyond a solid practice amp. Perfect for a beginner/intermediate player IMO.
Everyone who reviews it fails to mention that the sound reproduction for music is incredible, as if thats not an important feature too! Ive got a blue tooth speaker, that cost well more than my spark, and the spark sounds twice as good! I know thats not the point of the amp, but value is value! The spark could cost twice as much as it does, and would still be worth every penny. In my humble opinion.
i have had it for a long time the new firmware brings some new stuff wish they would upgrade the noise gate
I had this feeling too that he was using it the way you would you an actually amp. But still a great in depth video for someone that would have this product hoping to do what Ryan did with it. That being said I just pre-order a pearl colored one. As I need something like this in the price point that I can take from the bedroom to band practice.
@@stevenpipes1555 NO, this amp would never be worth twice its price. It is a good little amp and doubles a as speaker... but that isn't an extra $300 of value for that capability.
I got mine to be a PRACTICE modeling amp and teaching tool. It’s been more than great for that. A lot of fun to use. That said I would love to have a Fender Princeton Reverb.
Watched a ton of videos on this and you have the most honest review. That being said, just pre-order a pearl colored on today.
I'm new to guitar, amp and pedals. I got one of these knowing that I'd likely outgrow it. I wanted to get to know some popular amps and pedals at a reasonable cost. I also liked that it comes with a DAW and is an interface. My main complaint is that it lacks a looper. Honestly, it sounds much better with headphones.
Seemed a very balanced review to me. It came out just after I'd bought a Vox vt20 and the wall-to-wall raves left me wondering if I'd made the wrong choice. In the end, though, I realised that I didn't need the gimmicks it offered, just something that was reasonably -priced, decent build quality and good sound that could be dialled in easily.
The Vox has a digital app too, but after playing around with it for a while I concluded there was more than enough flexibility on its control panel and I can plug in direct, select a particular amp sound, tap a few effects and get a decent sound. I can still plug in a pedal board if I want something more tailored, but if I just want to learn a song or practice, without fuss, it's up to the job.
As it stands, I suspect that in a year or so time, there'll be a fair few of these second hand on Reverb. I think it's a great concept, but first and foremost, any amp needs to have a great sound that makes you want to pick up your guitar and play.
Thank you. After everyone's reviews I got one and I was quite disappointed. I kept it because I thought maybe I was doing something wrong but I still don't like it to this day. I've had it for about 6 months now but I always play on my Yamaha THR 30 II. I'm glad that now I have someone else who agrees with me on the spark. Yamaha is still the king of desktop amps for me.
The Yamaha costs twice as much, I would hope it would sound better.
@@try2bcool even the THR 10 non wireless sounds better for the same price as a spark.
Thank you for saving me money with this review. I've used Positive Grid BIAS and FX2, and it's fine sent to an acoustic guitar amp set flat. It's heavier than the Spark, but seems to do the job.
I like your reviews Ryan. It's good to hear all the cheap pedals. As to the Spark review, it seems to be the polar opposite of mine. Yes there's a lot of low end, but it is 20hz to 20khz with a bass port in the front. Mine hasn't once sounded that bad or muddy. And that's from out of the box. As you rightly said though, It takes a bit of experimenting to dial it in. The most annoying thing is when you change amps it put the eq to where PG think it sounds best. But isn't! Keep making fun and interesting content. I'd love to here your thoughts on the Twinote Boogie Ditortion pedal. I got it for £14 and as long as you keep the bass control low, it sound really good to my ears.
Thank you Ryan for your honest review. The thing I like most about the Spark amp is I didn't buy one!
Thank you so much for this review! Been researching videos for the spark 40 and wanted to get it. Ppl said customer support is not great and such. Also recent firmware upgrade run some issues such as the tones and user interface. Guess I’ll wait for Headrush version if they ever come out with one.
I love mine! I I filled the bass port with foam. And put foam inside the cabinet.
I went through all of this last year(looking for a little home amp), and the spark was on the list. So glad I ended up snagging a dsl 5cr.
Thank you for the most honest review of the Positive Grid Spark I have seen to date.
I'm an aged beginner (in my 50s) Learning to play guitar is a 'bucket list" thing for me. I have been considering buying one. I've watched quite a few videos on this product. The same points seem to come up over & over; The app is easy & fun to explore & play around with. Which I think would enhance the learning experience for beginners like myself. As just a plain guitar amp, they seem to be mediocre at best. Every video I have seen, points out the overwhelming bass. With a few tweaks, they could make these a really great product.
I really hope the engineers at Positive Grid are paying attention to all these reviews.
It seems that the latest firmware update fixed a lot of the bassyness. I love mine. I just adjust the amp settings to the tone I like. I have found that when listening through headphones it has more bass than purely through the speakers.
I'm also not digging how muddy a lot of settings make the guitar sound. But if it helps me get better then it seems like a deal. Bottom line on the Spark the dark tones kind of kill it for me. What do you think? Maybe 'll wait for the Spark 2 with the better brighter EQ. Also, the software should let you move the FX around. What live jam software do you think is better?
I have one and it seems that a firmware option to cut the boomyness and reduce the compression would be good thing. It's in stark contrast to a THR10 which is similarly priced.
I threw a sock in the sound hole of mine and it was WAY better. There are some things I love about it. Fun for practicing, fun to virtually try out a lot of amps, great first amp for someone with no pedals (but I can’t compare it to a katana). With the right config I think it could be great for direct recording into a DAW
FWIW, I would also never mic the amp. It’s got cab sims built in so the direct outs through the headphones or USB will be the more ideal sound. Anyways, it’s good for some stuff but you need to use it for those things. The App is 100% crucial, without it you just can’t get enough control.
I tried one out but it did not click for me but I did not think it was bad. I really liked the idea though of a super small but quality amp. I ended up with the Yamaha THR10II, a lot less features but I found really good sounds very easily. One regret is i wish I'd bought the THR30II then I would not need the app at all. I do think the future of bedroom play is either these small style advanced multi speaker amps or audio interfaces > DAW > monitor speakers. Respect for the honest take, you may of lost a sponsor but you gained at least one messily little sub!
I bought the mini first. I have played around with it a bit. Only a couch player. I thought it had potential so I bought the Spark. I have only had mine 24 hours. Haven't figured out much. I mainly watched this to see how you dealt with the features. Thanks for honest appraisal. I suspect that I will like it more than you did, just because I don't have your high expectations. Thanks again for review/demo.
I love my Spark 40 for home use. It sounds big for such a small amp. Better at a distance of 6 feet or so. I don't like the presets - way too much bass - I only use custom tones with the bass rolled off. It works well with bass guitars.
I've got one, and yea, it's very bass heavy, which makes sense since it's an "all-in-one" amp. I really wish they'd release an electric guitar only version with speakers that are specialized for highs and mids, would be amazing.
That said, I like it for my bedroom guitarist needs, all the patches I use have all the bass rolled off. It works for me, and the soundcloud has a ridiculous amount of patches, which is always fun when learning a new song to see if somebody already uploaded a patch for it. I don't use the built in jam capabilities, it never sounds all that great, but the ability to pull chords out of videos is useful
edit - It's a bluetooth speaker, turn it on, go into bluetooth settings on your phone and connect to it just like any other bluetooth speaker
I have one and it sits unused. I've been using my iphone lately playing through the Mustang GT100 and jamming with UA-cam tracks and having a ball. The Bluetooth works quite well. Also, the Mustang Micro is perfect for jamming along using Bluetooth. The bluetooth drops from the Spark too. Maybe I'll just use it as a BT speaker for listening. Turn the bass WAY down.
I've had mine since July of last year and it makes a good BT speaker. ATM it resides in my closet in the carry bag that came with it. My mustang micro sounds better through head phones or my Darkglass Element cab sim headphone amp those two rock.
I’ve had this amp for a few months. It’s quite bass heavy for sure. You can alleviate this quite easily. This amp does best on a stand with no reflective surface below it. Having it on a table will emphasize the bass. But placed on a stand about 6 feet away, it sounds like a much bigger amp. There are some recommendations online to use polyfill and to block the bass port. I haven’t tried that yet.
That's pointless and unnecessary for placement and other mods to make it sound good.
You are not wrong on any of the criticisms. It is dark and muddy, which works for me with my style. For the money it gives me a ton of options and fun for a small portable bedroom jam box. I wouldn’t suggest it for anything other then that at all.
I just started guitar and this is on my short list for a practice amp. I appreciate your review, but I'm not spending my time chasing tones yet. I need to learn how to play first. 🙂 As a learning tool and it can double as a bluetooth speaker with its low end, makes it appealing to me. Despite its flaws as noted by you, it's not a show stopper and it's just $300 and looks like a lot of fun to noodle around with.
This is also a Bass amp and acoustic amp. Some adjustments to the bass and mid on guitar settings is not that big of a deal, I wish I had this baby back when I was growing up, great tool!!! Perfect for my studio apt.
All that low end… that would be a pain. Sounds like it’s nearly impossible to take it out as well.
Glad I watched this!
That’s what I like about this channel: it’s soooo cutting edge...
Is when you connect to the amp through Bluetooth there are 2 spark devices available and you have to connect to both of them in order for music to play through
Would love to know if the low grate issue has been resolved or improved. I was about to buy one of these practice amps until I saw this video. Thank you!!
I feel like mine got much better after hooking up the app. I think it was able to update some of the internal software because it got rid of some noise and it really does sound better now.
It's been a while since I set mine up (or even turned it on, lol) but I seem to recall there are two bluetooth connections; one for the app and one for playing music to jam along to. I find myself using my Fender Mustang Micro when I want to play along with audio from my table or phone. It's more mobile and sounds better.
I'm curious how you would like it hooked up to an extension cab. If that's possible.
I haven't tried a lot of modeling devices, or any high-end ones, but so far I find maybe 10% of the sounds useful once tweaked heavily. Ends up seeming better to find one really good clean sound and using pedals. This thing did have some good clean sounds. I was thinking you needed to try more of the built-in dirt pedal sounds with the better clean settings.
Also, could have seen if positioning the speakers in the room for less bass would help or result in exposing another weakness. That's part of using any amp. Might have a lot of bass to offset the artificial high end of not having a good 12" speaker.
Back in at 1 hour in, still not good to me, way to boxey and bass heavey to me. Sounds like plugins via a speaker system to me! You are right, appreciate your honesty!
got mine a month ago. I like it. they had to replace the power supply for me because of the hum, but its neat. haven't touched the app yet.
Good for guitar and bass.
Thanks for the video. Which humbucker guitar do you use play on this video?
I have one, I got it pre-ordered. I was using a Vox AC4TV most recently. I think through the speakers alone it’s pretty murky. Hard to really get those bright Fender bell tones. I typically used the app to dial in the tone I want and play over a backing track via Bluetooth. I think the effects are great and I know this because it sounds great with headphones plugged in. Without them...eh it depends. I appreciate your honesty!
I had a VOX AC4TV. That thing was fun.
Back when I was searching for a small combo with a decent headphone out, I got a Vox Transtube/ hybrid type thing for almost nothing.It did a couple random sounds and effects well, - almost a total crap shoot.But I still consider some of those patches when I'm dialing in my current , rather extensive rig.It's like the Bassman patch on my SuperChamp XD; maybe not a dead ringer for that Fender tone, but still better than 80% of the boutique drives I've tried.
It's interesting that in that sea of digitally emulated sargasso/ pasta, occasionally something good stuff washes up.
I have one of these, plus I might well have watched all the reviews on UA-cam And the low on yours does seem excessive, Mine is nothing like it! I reckon you should contact positive grid and tell them you think its faulty.
I bought a Vox “Valvestate” emulating amp a few years back for $90 bucks less than this thing, and it sounds GREAT! Out of the box it does very faithful emulations of 11 different amps (including the Vox AC-30, with and without the treble boost circuit developed for The Beatles). And if you download any of the several packages of OTHER sounds, it can sound like MANY more. The power amp section is solid state, but the preamp is TUBE, so to the player it acts like a tube amp!
Curious if there is an updated review since the firmware update? They now have an eq pedal that IMO really cleans up the sound quite well!
It’s pretty easy to fix that perceived bass problem. Simply remove the front screen (it’s just held on with Velcro) and fill the bass port with a cloth. Problem solved.
I'm a beginner and have a Spark for about 5 months now. My perceptions so far: it's a great practice amp, but it's very bassy and it can be overwhelming to set it up (especially for beginners). I could find tones (and preset them) using the app but it took quite a while to navigate through the many options. I like heavy and hard rock and found the high gain presets awful.
It’s ok for what it’s suppose to be, had two of them.
Had to send one back due to defects , getting support took a while but they came through .
I went back to my Princeton and pedals and a Katana 100 mkII 🤷🏼♂️
very informative. if you slap headphones on, does it sound different? sounds like the top end keeps getting chopped off (reminds me of cheap speakers from the 80s in a waiting room 🤷♂️)
Its definitly an honest review. For me it still sounds more then good enough for me as a total noob to get one. Although i kinda want a headamp version.
I was thinking about getting this as my first own amp, glad I saved up to get the JC 22 instead